Urban Ministry comes with some unique challenges. Many of the systemic urban challenges include multiple areas of disparities that cripple and debilitate the community. Drug addiction, lack of access to healthcare, economic, job, income and education disparities all impact most urban areas. I believe education disparities are the biggest challenge that urban ministries can tackle and win with collaboration between the school systems and other churches.

The number of suburban churches who have retired professionals, entrepreneurs with flexible schedules and families who can embrace and model the value of education is simply incredible. If these churches with their vast resources actually saw the benefit of strengthening the educational infrastructure for society as a whole, we could see a reversal in the drop out trends within a decade.

Urban churches have the facilities and the networks inside the community to develop effective programs. The question has been asked why should churches and ministries get involved? Because we not only teach character and moral values but we also live the values that we want our young people to have. This is the best opportunity to disciple youth where there are that I know of in an urban context.

To be a 21st Century missional, emergent, disciple focused ministry challenges us to see opportunities to reach people for Christ outside of our own cultural context. It also demands partnering with other ministries who have spiritual, cultural, financial and community engagement strengths that will compliment our ministry.

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3 Responses to “Top Five Reasons Dropouts Identify as Factors for Leaving School”

The reasons for school dropouts is not new to us in the youthwork field. As an entrepreneurship educator, I’ve advocated for faith based organizations to become more involved in operating youth entrepreneurship program in churches and houses of worship.

As expressed in the article, churches have all the resources. i.e entrepreneurs, customers, facilities,etc. Entrepreneurship education is part of the solution to the five factors identified as reasons for the high dropout problem.

It is amazing that such a crisis (our children dropping of out high school or graduating without the abilities to maintain a job and/or understand the system in which they live) continues to sadden me– Your statement of understanding that the church has all the resources needed to change the future of these young people—what has been the response from the churches in which you have inquired about their assistance?

I am totally opposed to churching in our school systems. In fact, I would ask the author of this original comment to provide date and references were this could be visualized and start developi8ng a point where we could start “searching” for answers. I firmly believe that not a single study is conclusive.I do accept that studies are necessary to visualize the problem globally and locally. In our Country, just as we are polarized in just about everything, we also see education polarized and this, in my opinion, presetns an obstacle to seek better handling of the situation. We are full of noble ideas; of ideologies;of churching; of pointing the finger at the groups who are blamed for making the system drag. As long as we prepare students to participate in the economic “free market” the worse it is going to get in regards to dropouts. Education is for liberation. We educate to provide the tools were the human person can create and recreate our history. Alternatively, if we only want to provide fodder for our current economic marasmus, then we are not educating. We are merely pretending to form instrumentation to be manipulated by others. Either the person is education for liberty or we succumb just as other empires have fallen by the wayside of history. And the Church in education? Forget it!